International adoption creates involuntary immigrants. Unlike the millions of others who cross borders during their lives, our migration is completely involuntary. It's not a choice we, nor our families, make. Instead, it's the adoption industry that dictates who stays in the countries we are born in and who is sent overseas. This blog chronicles how these two aspects of our lives intersect.

Sunday, December 18, 2011

"When their rights are violated, when they are
marginalized and excluded, migrants will be unable to contribute either
economically or socially to the societies they have left behind or those
they enter. However, when supported by the right policies and human
rights protections, migration can be a force for good for individuals as
well as for countries of origin, transit and destination. "

Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon Message for International Migrants Day
18 December 2011

As the sun sets, hundreds of refugees from Libya line up for food
at a transit camp near the Tunisia-Libya border. More than three
quarters of a million people became refugees, following upheaval and
conflict in Africa and the Middle East.
UN Photo/OCHA/David Ohana

On 4 December 2000, the UN
General Assembly, taking into account the large and increasing number
of migrants in the world, proclaimed 18 December as International Migrants Day. On 18 December 1990, the General Assembly had adopted the International Convention on the Protection of the Rights of All Migrant Workers and Members of Their Families.

UN Member States and intergovernmental and non-governmental
organizations are invited to observe International Migrants Day through
the dissemination of information on the human rights and fundamental
freedoms of migrants, and through the sharing of experiences and the
design of actions to ensure their protection.

The 132 Member States that participated in the General
Assembly's High-level Dialogue on International Migration and
Development on 14-15 September 2006 reaffirmed a number of key
messages. First, they underscored that international migration was a
growing phenomenon and that it could make a positive contribution to
development in countries of origin and countries of destination
provided it was supported by the right policies. Secondly, they
emphasized that respect for the fundamental rights and freedoms of all
migrants was essential to reap the benefits of international migration.
Thirdly, they recognized the importance of strengthening international
cooperation on international migration bilaterally, regionally and
globally.